The Elite Waffen SS!

When I originally started, my intention was to do some simple elite Heer, themed specifically around Operation Watch on the Rhine, more commonly known as the Battle of the Bulge. Starting with Artizan Design's Late War Germans, I hoped to stay away from those well designed yet fiddly plastics that Warlord Games produces.

Progress so far....

When they finally arrived (thanks to a delay due to a simple error on Artizan's part, sending the package to my billing address, almost 150 miles way!), I poked my nose into Osprey's excellent collection of books detailing the force at the time, and settled on simple camouflage. After a few games with Will, it became clear what must done: these models clearly show the feared SS!

This is the first half of my army, equaling roughly 2000 points, at a tabletop level which I hope one day (I promise) to go back and improve!

The soldat themselves

The paint job was relatively easy, utilizing a simple layer, wash, later technique. The camo is what took the most time, adding little patches of other colour to the predominately brown overcoats.

The specialists

A group of specialists and my Leutnant and Major, and left over infantry who didn't fit into any squads (fortunately, the second group of models I have recently received has all of these men formed into squads)

The two tanks & the weapons teams

The Bӧsen Wolf, a Panther Ausf. G from Rubicon, has proven the bane of Will's Americans, but proved a bit to expensive to keep taking. I swapped it out for the Panzer IV Ausf. H seen in the back.

The smaller vehicles

From left to right, a Kübelwagen, a Sd.Kfz 251/1 "Hanomag" Ausf. A, a Sd.Ffz 222 and a Sd.Kfz 233. A simple tri colour scheme was applied to these and the tanks, before weathering. The "real" scale of these miniatures allowed washes to prove effective!

Reinforcements!

And my latest order, on the assembly line. There is enough here to take the force to 4000 points! Here's hoping I can get them done and painted as fast as the first 2000.